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NFC East Week 8 Preview: Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, Commanders
The NFC East is the best football division, with Dallas, New York, and Washington winning their matchups in Week 7. The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a bye week, but they remain the only undefeated team in the league with a 6-0 record.
The New York Giants continue to impress, sitting second in the division with a 6-1 record, and are currently on a four-game winning streak. The Cowboys bounced back from their Week 6 loss, dominating the Lions 24-6, and now have a 5-2 record. The Commanders are on a winning streak of their own, winning back-to-back games, and are slowly creeping back into a very competitive NFC East.
Here’s everything you need to know about every NFC East team going into Week 8.
The New York Giants are one of the most surprising teams thus far. They’re now 6-1, surpassing their win total from 2021 and tying it from 2020. Led by first-year head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants are one of the most disciplined teams in the league, but in a good way. The coaching staff has instilled confidence in these players that they can go out and win every game.
Quarterback Daniel Jones was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Jacksonville. Jones is now the only Giants quarterback to throw for over 200 yards (202) and rush for over 100 yards (107) in the same game. Jones is doing it all, alongside star running back Saquon Barkley, who also eclipsed 110 rushing yards against a stout Jacksonville run defense.
Unfortunately for the Giants, the injury bug seems to keep biting them. While they’re still winning despite these injuries, they lost rookie tackle Evan Neal, left guard Ben Bredeson and rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger in the same game and are expected to miss time.
In some good injury news, offensive lineman Nick Gates was added to the active roster after a long road back from a gruesome leg injury suffered in Week 2 of last season. The Giants are starting to get somewhat healthier but have to hope no more of their current players get injured.
The Giants head to Seattle this week to take on a surprisingly good Seahawks team. Quarterback Geno Smith is playing at an elite level, and rookie running back Kenneth Walker could pose problems for a struggling Giants run defense. The Giants look to improve to 7-1 before their bye week.
The Eagles look to continue their early season dominance coming off their bye week. However, they did make some noise heading into Week 8.
The Eagles traded for star veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn. Quinn, formerly of the Bears. Quinn had 18.5 sacks last season, and even though he has just one this year, he solidifies an Eagles front seven that was already dominant without him. The Eagles sent a 2023 fourth-round pick to the Bears, who will also eat most of Quinn’s contract for this season.
The Eagles host their in-state rivals this week in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are coming off a 16-10 loss to the Dolphins, and their road doesn’t get any easier with the Eagles up this week. Their front seven could be too much for rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett to handle. This will be an interesting game to see if the Eagles can go to 7-0 on the season.
The Cowboys also made a trade this week to help solidify depth along their dominant defensive line. Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins was traded from Las Vegas to Dallas in a swap of late-round picks, with Dallas gaining a 2023 seventh in the deal while sending a 2023 sixth-round pick in return. The veteran Hankins spent time with the division rival Giants from 2013-2016 and was with the Raiders for the last five seasons.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn brought a familiar face from Atlanta, signing cornerback Kendall Sheffield to the practice squad. Cornerback Jourdan Lewis is out for the season with a foot injury, so bringing in Sheffield made perfect sense.
Dallas’ defense continues to dominate, as they held one of the league’s top-scoring offenses in the Lions to just six points last week. Quarterback Dak Prescott also returned to the field last week after missing five weeks with a broken thumb. Prescott threw for 207 yards and one touchdown, a solid outing for his first game back.
Dallas now faces the Bears at home. Chicago has one of the worst offenses in the league, making them an easy target for Dallas’ dominant defense. The Cowboys are hoping to climb to 6-2 after this week and get near the top of the division again.
The Commanders are coming off an impressive win, beating the Packers 23-21 and continuing a strange season for Green Bay. They also did it without their starting quarterback, as Taylor Heinicke threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a pick-six earlier in the game but helped Washington come back and beat a tough opponent en route to their second straight win.
A big part of why Washington pulled off the upset was due to their running back committee. Rookie Brian Robinson Jr rushed for 73 yards on 20 carries, and Antonio Gibson added 59 rushing yards on just ten carries. Terry McLaurin also impressed, having his best outing of the season with Heinicke at the helm. McLaurin caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Washington’s defense also held up nicely against reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers. The Commanders held Green Bay to 0/6 on 3rd down tries on Sunday.
Washington’s now 3-4, still last in the division but are hoping to make it three in a row as they head to Indianapolis for a showdown with the Colts.
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